A corpo



Patented Feb. 4, |902? J. L. WHITE.

G RATE.

(Application lved Sept. 9, 1897.)

(im Rodel.)

UNITED STATESy PATENT OFFICE.

-JAMEs L. WIII-'rn'or WEsr sUPERIOn, W1sCoNs1N,- AssIGNon' 'iro J. L. WHITE EURNACE COMPANY, on MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, A CORPO- RATION OF \VISCONSIN.

GRA-TE.'Y

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 692,809, dated February 4, 1902I Application filed September 9, 1897. Serial No. 651,139. tllomodcl.) i

' To a/ZZ whom, it' ntcty concern:

' Be it-known that I, JAMES LUTHER WHITE,

u acitizen of the United States, residing at \Vest Tze larly to rocking grates.

Superior, in the county of'Douglas and State -of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and usefullmprovements in Grates; and I-do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear,`

vand exact description of the invention, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it 'appertains to make and use the same,

My invention relates to various new and useful improvements in grates, and particu* The essential nov- .elty in the invention is the provision of a grate'which shall be capable of use in connection with forced and natural drafts.

The invention relates to a grate composed of a series of hollow bars, each having a slitted upper part and a hinged lower portion and with' means for forcing a blast of air through the bars. The hinged portions are so arranged that they may be closed by means .of l'movable lugs carried upon a slidable bar.

, The' lower face of each hinged section is sector-shaped, so that it maybe at all times in engagement with its operating-lug during the rocking movement. With my improved grate- 4,.bz'trs, therefore, thefurnace will becapable v'o'"consuming sawdust and similar fuels which -requirea forced draft and also for consuming wood, coke, coal, and -similar fuels with which .a natural draft alone is required.

Myjm'proved invention further relates to details of construction for simultaneously opening and closing the removable portions of the grate-bars and for simultaneously rock- ;ingithe said grate-bars irrespective of thefpov.sitions of lsaid removable portions. I... #In the accompanyingl drawings I illustrate a grate employing my present improvements.

' Having reference to the drawings,- Figure 1 is an visometric view, partially In section,

illustrating a portion of a grate, one of thel y gratebars being entirely removed, another 4being cut lin section, and a third having a portion of its top-removed; Fig. 2, a cross-secftion through the grate-bars, illustrating the Vse preferred form of same and showing a convenieut way for operating the hinged sections 'when used; and Fig. 3,

a vdetail perspective 'view of a portion vof one of the grate-bars shown in Figs. 1 and E3.

In all of the above views corresponding parts are represented by the same numerals of reference.

1 and 2, represent the side walls ofa furnace, and 3 represents the bridge-wall thereof.

4 is the front of the furnace, constructed, as heretofore, of an iron plate or plates. This particular plate is shown as being provided tion to provide for the natural draft when vused and which may be closed by means of suitable covers, if desired. v

Built withinthe bridge-Wall 3 is the main air-duct 5, lmade in separable sections, each formed with an overhanging lip G, which will engage with the edge of the adjacent section. The sections of the air-duct are rectangular, as shown. This allows them to squarely rest upon the supporting-base of brickwork and at the same time will give a level bed for that portion of the rear wall above the air-duct. The face of the duct within the furnace is perpendicular to engage with the rear exftremity of the grate-bar13 and isprovi'ded with a circular opening 7. The bar snugly iits against the inner face of the air-duct and is supported within the opening 7. It is advantageous to make the air-duct 5 in sections, as in that way the air-duct can be made to accommodate furnaces of different sizes, as will be understood.

8 8 represent two piers or supports within the furnace, upon which is carried the metal bridge 9, preferably cast in one piece'. The said bridgeis provided with bearing-openings 10 therein for supporting the pins 11,cast with the front of eachgrate-bar 12. The rear ends of the grate-bars are provided with tubu-4 lar vnecks 13, which engage with the openings be rocked, as will be presently explained.

Each grate-bar 12 preferablycomprises a (see Fig. 2,) each sustained atlits forwardend by the front 14 and at intermediate points by braces 15, a removable slitted or slotted with two openings or doors' at its lower por` '7 in the air-duct, whereby the grate-bars may main portion 13, consisting of two longitudinally-parallel but vertically-convergin g walls,

topA 16, and a-hinged flap or door 17. -I pre- Aroo ferto employ removable slotted topsV 16, for the reason that when said tops become burned out` they may be removed and replaced by new ones, thereby obviating the necessity of removing the entire grate-'bar in that event. In order to further lessenthe loss by the burningout of the tops, I prefer to make them `in several sections for each grate-bar, as `shown in Fig. 1. The openings or slits in the 1o top 16 are sufficiently small to prevent the 1 passage lof fuel through the same, and their size will'be determined by experience. The said tops may be removably secured in place in any suitable way; but I prefer to employ inturned lugs 18 thereon, which engage with lips 19, cast uponthe upper and outer edges of the main portions 13 of the grate-bars, as will be understood.

As' stated, each grate-bar is, preferably prozo vided with a hinged flap or door 17, opening downward; but there may be employed two. iiaps or doors hinged at 'both sides, as will *be understood. i 20'is a rod or bar carried in suitable supports 21, (see Fig. 1,) preferably at the back f of the furnace, said bar being provided with vertical lugs 22, having cut-away portions 23,- Athe latter engaging the flaps or doors 17 and normally maintaining them in their closed 3o positions, as shown in dotted lines, Fig. 2..

lhen, however, the vrod or bar 20 is moved to the position shown in full lines in said tigure, the flaps or doors 17 will be allowed V-to open by their weight. The doors or flaps L17 are preferably trough-shaped. Their lower faces are curved to the shape of a sector'of a circle the center of which is thecenter of the support 1-1, The cut-away portions 23 of the lugs 22 are designed to fit the flaps 17 irrespective ofthe position of the grate-bars.- If l two flaps are used, hinges are provided on each side, the joint between the two flaps being in the middle, and in thiscase, as well as where a single flap is employed, the lower face is curved., so thatall portions of said lower face-are equ'idistant frompthe point of suspension of the grate-bar. 'In order thatI 'the bar or rod 2O may be thus operated, it may be provided with a rack 24 thereon, with 5o which a pinion 25 engages, said pinion being mounted on a shaft 26, having a squared front end 27 protruding through the frontwall 4 of the furnace and which may be engaged by Y a'wrench 28, so asvtofbe rotated,astwi'll,be'

5'5 understood.

In`order that the grates may be rocked',r-I

preferably provide each of said gratos with a downwardly-extending arm`29 at its forward end, said arms beingconnected together bya-v l op ma so.

. 3l is a rock-shaft mounted inbearingsin I the bridge 9 and front 'Walle and provided .with a downwardly-extendingarm'.32, which l ceases 5 ,to the-axis of said grate-bar, rod or bar mounted beneath the said gratebars, and lugs carri-ed by said bars for engag- I 15 connects with the 1'od-'30-by"a link' 33. -1 rock-shaft 31 is provided with a squared fronti4v portion, with which the wrench 28 may also?? engage, as shown in Fig. 1, and by means of which the said rock-shaft may be oscillated back and forth to rock the grates to-one side or the other, as will be understood. r he bottoms of the flaps 17 being sector-shaped and the cut-away portions' 23 being made to'ft, the grate-bars may be rocked, if desired, with the flaps '17 closed, the' bottoms of the latter engaging with the cut-away portions 23 through the entire extent of movement of the grate-bars.

In order to make thecolnbustion more perfect, I prefer to extend up from the air-duct 5 at each side an auxiliary duet 34, mounted in the side walls land 2 and which'are each provided with openings `35, communicating with passages '36, formed in said side Walls, by means of which air blast or jets will be directed into the combustiolrchan]ber'a suffi- 85 cient distance above the grates to `result in the consumption of any gases which may be generated therein. For a similar purpose s I provide a plurality of air-pipes 37, likewise connecting with the airduct 5 a-ndwhich are 9o mounted in the bridgewall '3,' as will be um derstood. f

Having now described my invention, what I claim as 'new therein, and desire to secure i by Letters Patent, is as follows: 95V

l. An improved hollow grate-bar, suitable for forced and natural drafts, providedk with pivotal supports at the extremities thereof, whereby it may vbe'rocked, and with a hinged section 17, adapted to be closed when used reoy for forced drafts, and opened when used for,` natural drafts, the lower face ofsaid hinged v` section .being sector-shaped, alug 22, with a" cut-away portion .23 thereon, ,adapted to be' brought intoengagement with the lower face of said hinged section for closing the'same, and means forrocking said grate.`

2. An improved grate, comprising a plurality of hollow gratefbars, each having a slit-A ted upper portion and a hingedlower section, 1 toV the lowerfaces of said lower section being sector-shaped, drawn upon a center adjacent a reciprocating ing with thelowerfacesof said hinged sec-` tion ,wvhereby the same may be closed and" means for simultaneously rock" ng saidgratev I bars, substantially as described. l l This specification signed and witnessed'this ,r zo' 14th day of August, 1897.

l A V.JAMES L. IVIIITE.-

1 Witnesses: v l GEORGE' E. DIETRICH,

FRANK'HAYES. 

